The sky above
by maria magdalena
Summary: Quistis and Seifer, having an affair, finally make a decision. Will they find peace at last? Seiftis / Queifer romance with Squinoa. It's finally *complete*!!!
1. Prologue

The sky above  
  
Prologue  
  
Author's notes: Hey, I'm new! My name's Cincalett and I'm 15 years old, and this is my first try at a Fanfic, so please don't be too harsh with the reviews. Flaming is okay, but try to have a reason for it. I know there's not much happening in this part, but believe me, the next chapters are worth reading this one.  
  
What was I about to say, anyway? Oh yeah: It's a love-triangle… no actually, it's not. There are four people involved. (Quistis, Rinoa, Squall and Seifer.) There is no bashing and I'm trying hardly to keep everybody IN character. It will be kinda dramatic to the end, so be prepared.  
  
Oh yeah, and please, please: review! It keeps me writing if I know someone's waiting for the next parts.  
  
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~Every angel would have fallen for him, I just wish, she hadn't~  
  
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Quistis Trepe became a SeeD when she was only 15 years old, 2 years later, she already taught how to be one.  
  
Now, it was over. She wasn't the special one anymore, and this was hard to handle.  
  
A slap in her face, a kick in her stomach, a stab right through her heart.  
  
It was still an open wound and she had no idea when it was finally going to heal.  
  
So she hided, wrapped herself up in her dream-world, where she was actually loved and still respected. Not a former instructor, not fallen from her throne. And, not fallen for Squall.  
  
Things had never been easy, but he complicated them to extreme.  
  
Squall Leonhart, whom no-one could open up, who lived in his own, shattered world, shutting everybody else out from the solitude he called his life.  
  
And still, he was the one she loved.  
  
She had tried to deny it, but knew it was true.  
  
And maybe, just maybe, the little hell he created and called his own, was what actually fascinated her so much about him. That he lived the tragedy, while she struggled against it, that he accepted, while she ignored.  
  
That he could be helped, while she couldn't.  
  
It was a fact. Rinoa had proven it.  
  
Heaven had sent an angel to rescue Squall Leonhart.  
  
And with that, it had also taken away Quistis' only chance to be rescued.  
  
She knew, Squall and her, they would probably have drowned together.  
  
Now, it was just her.  
  
Alone.  
  
And that was even more painful.  
  
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Walking into Cid's office was something she had become used to during her year as an instructor. Now, it felt strange, even wrong.  
  
"Quistis! It's good to see you again!"  
  
She returned the comment, but by the time the words left her mouth, she instantly knew they were just lies. Lies that need to be told, but lies.  
  
With a huge smile on his face, the director offered the chair in front of his desk, and she sat down.  
  
"Is the a problem with my work as a SeeD, Sir? If yes I will-"  
  
"It's not that, Quistis", he interrupted her immediately. "Your work is excellent and you know that. It's you I'm worried about."  
  
She frowned. "Me, Sir?"  
  
"Yes. After the defeat of Ultemicia, your job as a SeeD began to bore you, right, Quistis?"  
  
Her mouth opened before she was able to speak. Of course her first reflex was to disagree, but then she hesitated.  
  
Deep down, she suddenly knew he was right. He just hadn't used the right words. She wasn't *bored* to be a SeeD. She *hated* it.  
  
"Sir…", lowering her eyes, this was everything she could say.  
  
He nodded. "I see. So I'm right." Hesitating a second, he spoke on: "I've always known you're ambitious, Quistis. This is not a bad attribute, don't get me wrong… It just seems to me, as if your whole self-confidence is build on being successful. That's when being ambitious gets to far, Quistis. You're destroying yourself."  
  
She didn't know what to say. She doubted that there was something to say for her.  
  
"See, Quistis. I know I'm not a psychiatrist, but I care about you. That's why I give you a chance to get your instructor's licence back."  
  
"My… my licence?", she whispered, her eyes widened in disbelief. Was it really happening? Was she dreaming?  
  
"Of course, you will have to prove yourself. Two of Balamb Garden's students need to pass the SeeD test. You will teach them. If one of them fails, you won't get the licence."  
  
Two students. Just two. That was easy.  
  
Smiling widely, she nodded. "I'll do it. I'll teach them."  
  
And she meant it. There was no way she would disappoint Director Cid again.  
  
"I knew you wouldn't give up. You'll meet them at the elevator."  
  
After being dismissed, Quistis practically ran out of the room. She couldn't wait to start teaching again, even if she had to begin with only two students.  
  
She had just opened the door and stopped dead. Two very familiar figures stood in front of her, and she felt the strong urge to scream.  
  
"Rinoa!", she gasped, as the petite raven-haired smiled widely, then hugged her. While being embraced by her friend, Quistis stared at her other student's face.  
  
He leaned against the wall, his arms crossed, his grin lopsided. "Finally, we meet again, Instructor. I was actually starting to miss you", Seifer said, sarcasm dripping from every single word.  
  
After letting go of Quistis, Rinoa turned and shot him a look. "Don't be so mean! She has agreed to teach us. Now isn't that nice?"  
  
"Uh, sorry, Rin. I forgot that some of us actually need to become a SeeD to impress their whiny boyfriends."  
  
"He's more a man than you'll ever be! How often did you fail the SeeD test?"  
  
After a while, Quistis stopped listening. She just closed the door to Cid's office, leaned again it and let out a long sigh. This wasn't going to be a piece of cake. 


	2. The angel

The sky above  
  
Part 1: The angel  
  
Author's notes: Heya! Thanks for the reviews, here's the next part. I hope you'll like it.  
  
Drama!!!  
  
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~ I want to fly, but my wings are broken. I want to sing, but I have no voice. I want to love, but I've lost him ~  
  
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It was hopeless. Rinoa wouldn't pass the SeeD test. Seifer neither.  
  
Both of them were excellent fighters, but they struggled against forces they couldn't defeat:  
  
The problems they carried with them wherever they went.  
  
The cocky ex-knight and daddy's little princess.  
  
Quistis sighed desperately. They had been spending the whole morning in Balamb Garden's training arena, without any visible success. Seifer still had major problems with summoning G.F.s, while Rinoa just couldn't strengthen her physical attacks. Their levels were so high already, Quistis had no doubt their tests would be a lot harder than normal. As a result, both would fail. …And Quistis would stay a SeeD forever.  
  
Seifer began summoning Leviathan. Again, his timing was miserable.  
  
"It's useless!", he shouted, after the creature had defeated the monsters and disappeared again. Turning to Quistis, Seifer's expression became even angrier. "You're the instructor! You're here to tell me why that %$#§* G.F. won't come a &#%$ second earlier!"  
  
Quistis shook her head. "What can I say, Seifer? Leviathan fought you when you were they sorceress' knight. Maybe he… just dislikes you."  
  
He glared at her. "I *dislike* that stupid snake too! What about fighting the enemies with my Hyperion?"  
  
"Using G.F.s will be part of your test. As well as using weapons." By the last comment, Quistis' look was involuntary drawn to Rinoa, who was fighting a T-Rex.  
  
'Even if she doesn't see it, she's an amazing fighter. But for some reason, she's still too slow and her attacks don't cause enough damage', Quistis thought. Turning her attention back to Seifer, she sighed again. At least for this student, she had an advice.  
  
"Seifer, please. When summoning a G.F. try to suppress your feelings. I know it's hard for you, but-"  
  
"Hard for me? What the hell does *that* mean?", he hissed. Taking a few steps in her direction, his emerald-green eyes began sparkling dangerously.  
  
Though she had to fight the urge to step back, she remained where she was. "You know what I'm talking about! You can't control your feelings!"  
  
Another two steps, and he stood right in front of her, looking down at her with an expression of pure hate. "Don't talk about me as if you knew me. You don't, Instructor. You don't. That's why you'll fail at teaching me. That's why I'll fail the SeeD test. That's why we'll *both* fail… Again."  
  
"What does that mean, Seifer?", she shouted furiously. "That it's my fault you aren't a SeeD?"  
  
"Yes. That's what it means", he answered. "YOU failed me, Instructor. You turned away, you chose not to care. You were so dearly in love with Puberty Boy, you barely noticed your other students."  
  
Staring open-mouthed, she couldn't believe what he'd just said.  
  
How did he know? Was he the only one who had noticed? Or was her affection towards Squall the real reason for Cid's decision to make her a SeeD again? A thousand questions ran through her mind. All of them were answered by Seifer's impudent grin.  
  
"It was you", she whispered, slowly shaking her head in disbelief. "I lost my position because of you!"  
  
A small nod, another grin, and Quistis self-control was finally gone.  
  
"How could you do something like that?", she shouted, not noticing that Rinoa had finished fighting the T-Rex and started watching the two of them. Her Shooting Star loosely in her hand, her mouth slightly opened. The question running through her mind was almost written on her forehead: What was going on between those two?  
  
"It's simple, Instructor", Seifer answered her question, his cocky grin frozen on his face. "I was hanging on the edge of heaven. I reached out... But you... you decided to turn away. So *I* decided to make you fall too."  
  
Her eyes widened.  
  
Of course.  
  
Squall. Seifer. Her.  
  
All of them had needed someone. A sister, a lover or just someone to rely on…  
  
And when they had all been disappointed, when all their hopes had been destroyed, they had tried to turn to something else…  
  
Squall's isolation from the world. Seifer's cocky manner. Her… her desperate search for perfection.  
  
In the end, Squall found love.  
  
Her and Seifer… found themselves in even greater misery.  
  
'But you… you decided to turn away.'  
  
'No', Quistis thought. 'It wasn't me…you turned to.'  
  
Heaven had sent an angel to rescue Squall Leonhart.  
  
The angel…  
  
turned away from Seifer Almasy. 


	3. Pieces of their broken hearts

The sky above  
  
Part 2: Pieces of their broken hearts  
  
Author's notes: Hey there, here's part three. It's a bit shorter… I guess. Next part's coming soon (look forward to part 3!)  
  
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~ She made him fly and led him fall. His heart was the only thing that broke ~  
  
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After a long pause of silence, Quistis finally spoke. "I'm- I'm sorry, Seifer." It was hardly more than a whisper, and when he didn't react, she almost feared he hadn't heard her at all.  
  
"Liar", he said in a voice cold as ice, looking down at her without an emotion touching his face. His grin had disappeared, and therefore, his barrier was finally down.  
  
His defence, shattered by her obviously unexpected excuse.  
  
"You're right, I should have helped you… even though you never wanted *my* help."  
  
His eyes darkened, but he kept quiet. His grip tightened around his Hyperion and-  
  
he turned away.  
  
Quistis couldn't help but sigh, as she watched him leave.  
  
Her student.  
  
Maybe Seifer was right: They would fail. Again…  
  
She turned to Rinoa, who was standing a few steps away, looking at Quistis with big, innocent eyes.  
  
'Of course…  
  
…she doesn't know…  
  
…she never knew…  
  
that Seifer really loved her…  
  
And maybe still…'  
  
"Quistis…?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Don't worry. He will come back. He won't give up… he will fight, he will struggle… until the day he can finally call himself a SeeD."  
  
She was right. Of course she was. She was Rinoa Heartilly, the woman who saw people with her heart, not with her eyes.  
  
Quistis looked at her, suddenly fighting against upcoming tears. No-one else deserved Squall more than her, no-one else.  
  
The perception almost broke her heart.  
  
Lowering her view, she hoped the girl wouldn't notice.  
  
"Let's call it a night" Quistis quietly offered, her self-control suppressing the urge to cry. "It's already dark outside."  
  
"Why don't you go? You look tired. I'll finish my training and go to bed then."  
  
Quistis frowned. "I don't think this is a good idea. What if you're wounded? No-one will be there…"  
  
"I'm not a baby!" Instantly, Rinoa's expression had changed. Her face was now harder, her body had straightened.  
  
'It means… so much to her?'  
  
'Why?', Quistis asked herself. 'Why is she doing this? Why would she want to become a SeeD? Is Seifer right? Is she trying to impress Squall? But… why?'  
  
"Fine", Quistis gave in, pushing the thoughts aside. "But be careful. And don't fight a T-Rex. They're strong."  
  
With that, Quistis left the sorceress and headed towards the floors. What a day…  
  
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Finally reaching her dorm, Quistis was so tired, she almost immediately fell into her bed, drifting into sleep after only a few minutes.  
  
~~~She smiled,  
  
The beautiful, young woman with the long, golden hair.  
  
Smiling… smiling as if pain simply didn't exist. Smiling… as if she'd never been hurt her whole life.  
  
"My daughter", she whispered, reaching out her hand.  
  
"Mom! Why did you leave me? Why?"  
  
But Quistis' question echoed unanswered in the darkness that surrounded her again.~~~ 


	4. Saving the queen

The sky above  
  
Part 3: Saving the queen  
  
Author's notes: Squall makes his first appearance!!! He's not too pleased with the situation, though ^_^. And… finally some Quistis/Seifer interaction. (More to come, I promise.) Oh yeah, and please try to ignore my mistakes, English's not my first language. I've learned it at school --- (~_~)  
  
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~ Sometimes, god's angels are the first to fall ~  
  
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"Miss Trepe! Miss Trepe!"  
  
Quistis's eyes flew open. She usually had a deep sleep, but the girl's high- pitched voice could have woken a coma-patient.  
  
"Miss Trepe, Miss Trepe!"  
  
Banging on the door, the girl repeated the words over and over, until Quistis, still in her pyjamas, finally crawled out of her bed and opened.  
  
In front of the Ex-Instructor stood one of her former students, a 14-year- old, humorous and outgoing girl called Carra. Yawning, Quistis looked down at her. "Why are you waking me?!", she asked, still too tired to be alarmed by the girl's unusual behaviour.  
  
"Miss Trepe", she gasped, panting for breath. "It's… Dr. Kadowaki sent me! It's about Miss Heartilly!"  
  
Suddenly, Quistis remembered everything. Her fight with Seifer, and her being alone with Rinoa. And she remembered leaving her, mainly because she couldn't bear facing her, Squall's love, anymore. And then, it hit her.  
  
"Oh my god!", she exclaimed. "What happened? Is she okay?"  
  
What if Rinoa hadn't followed her orders? What if she had battled a T-Rex? What if… what if she was hurt? Or…  
  
Quistis felt sick. Leaving her had been a mistake. One, that could have cost Rinoa's life.  
  
The girl took a deep breath and Quistis heart skipped a beat.  
  
"No, Miss Trepe", Carra answered, suddenly very quiet, and stared on her feet. "Two SeeDs found her… in the training arena. She was wounded… The doctor didn't tell me how bad it is... She just… ordered me to get you."  
  
Quistis slowly nodded. "Go, tell Dr. Kadowaki, that I'll be there in a minute." As the girl ran away, Quistis shut the door and started to change her clothes as fast as she could. Every single second it took her felt like a knife's stab right through her heart.  
  
'My fault'  
  
'If Rinoa dies, it's my fault.'  
  
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When she arrived at the infirmary, her eyes immediately fell on the pale figure lying in one of the beds. Her head was bandaged and the raven- coloured hair crusted with blood. Quistis stared at her in shock, pressed a hand on her mouth to suppress a sob and hurried to the girl's bedside.  
  
She was unconscious, but breathing constantly.  
  
"Rinoa… ."  
  
"Miss Trepe!", a voice hissed from behind, and Quistis turned around to see Dr. Kadowaki standing there.  
  
"She needs her sleep", the woman stated sternly. "Come on. We've got to talk."  
  
Quistis nodded, but her view was drawn to Rinoa again. "Will she be okay?", Quistis whispered, her eyes never leaving Rinoa.  
  
"She will", the doctor answered quietly, her voice now softer. "This time, she suffered a few bruises, a concussion of the brain and a wound on her forehead, but if the boys had found her a minute later, she'd be dead."  
  
Quistis stared at Rinoa, unable to move or to speak.  
  
She had failed, and her incapacity had almost killed Rinoa.  
  
"I guess you should go and inform Cid about this", the doctor proposed, any compassion for Quistis had disappeared.  
  
"You haven't told him yet?", she asked.  
  
"I sent Carra to get you and Squall. I think it's your job to go to Cid."  
  
Quistis nodded. Dr. Kadowaki was right, it was her job. She had to go to him. She was the one responsible for Rinoa's accident, she was the one who disappointed him again.  
  
She turned and left the infirmary.  
  
She had almost reached the elevator, as a shout made her stop.  
  
"Quistis!"  
  
She turned and saw Squall slowly walking towards to her. His grey eyes had darkened and the indifference had disappeared from his face. Something else had taken it's place. Hatred.  
  
Stopping in front of Quistis, he looked down at her.  
  
"You saw her?", he asked, his voice toneless.  
  
She slowly nodded, unable to escape his piercing eyes.  
  
"She almost died because of you!", he shouted, every feeling he had hidden in the past years coming down on her.  
  
"Squall", she whispered and her eyes filled with tears. "I… can't tell you, how sorry I am."  
  
"Sorry?", he shouted. "You're *sorry*?" He roughly grabbed her wrist, and she led it happen. She almost wished he'd hurt her.  
  
'I deserve to pay for what I've done to Rinoa', was everything she could think of.  
  
"Get your hands off her."  
  
A voice, calm but threatening, broke the tension between them, and both Quistis and Squall turned to stare at the familiar figure. In one hand, he held his gunblade, the other was formed to a fist.  
  
"This is none of your business, Seifer!", Squall hissed, but Seifer's eyes were still fixed on Quistis' wrist  
  
"It is", he answered. "She's my Instructor. If you hurt her, I will beat the crap out of you."  
  
Quistis mouth opened and she stared in disbelief at Seifer.  
  
"And now", he added. "Get your hands off her." When Squall didn't react at all, Seifer pointed his gunblade on him. "Okay, amigo. You'll regret that."  
  
With that, he ran towards his rival. 


	5. Crossed gunblades

The sky above  
  
Part 4: Crossed gunblades  
  
Author's notes: Hey, here I am again ^_^. Thank you so much for the nice reviews! I always love to hear from you! This time, it took me a bit longer… sorry for that. I had some exams to write…  
  
Hey hey, Maren. Alles klar? Deutsch ist toll, oder? ^_^ (Jaja, Sandra, Spanisch auch.)  
  
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~ Love is like a ray of light, it leads your way, or it blinds you ~  
  
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Squall reacted immediately. Pushing Quistis with one hand aside, he pulled out his gunblade with the other, ready to counter Seifer's attack. Hyperion and Lionheart collided, and Quistis' back violently hit the wall next to the elevator. She led out a small cry, and as Seifer turned to check her, Squall lifted his gunblade for striking back.  
  
"Seifer!", Quistis shouted, her head hurting, her mind spinning. One thing kept repeating in her ears.  
  
'You can't let Seifer down again…'  
  
And as if he had seen Squall's attack through her eyes, he quickly turned and almost immediately countered, every move he made showing his amazing strength.  
  
He wasn't just the fallen knight. In this second it seemed almost painfully clear to her. They were alike.  
  
The hero and the dark knight. They mirrored each other like the scars on their faces.  
  
And yet… she couldn't accept that.  
  
"Now that it's just you and me, Leonhart, I won't loose... And you won't survive", Seifer threatened between attacking and countering.  
  
Quistis just stood and stared. She felt dizzy, her head hurt, and she wasn't able to finish a single thought.  
  
'Seifer rescued me…'  
  
'Squall wanted… to hurt me'  
  
'…but he pushed me away when Seifer attacked…'  
  
'and… rescued me too.'  
  
'… or did he just try to hurt me?'  
  
Her love, her bitter-sweet affection. …And her hope that had been broken into pieces, and still wasn't fully destroyed.  
  
Hope, made of pure desperation. And yet… hope.  
  
She saw Seifer. She saw the Sorceress' knight. She saw Squall. She saw a hero. Somewhere deep down, where she had buried her reasoning, she knew that she was wrong.  
  
But… it was love. Right or wrong didn't matter.  
  
Just then, Seifer finally got his chance. Using his gunblade like a lance, he ran forward. Squall, unprepared for something like that, didn't know how to react and simply took a defence position.  
  
'Seifer… now I'm turning away from you… again', she thought, stumbling into the line of fire and protecting an expressionless Squall.  
  
Seifer immediately stopped dead. His Hyperion still pointed at Quistis, but he just stood there for a long moment and stared at her.  
  
Only a single second later his beautiful green eyes darkened and he turned away, the familiar expression of hatred and despite on his face.  
  
"Seifer!", she shouted.  
  
"You don't need to thank me Instructor", he replied sarcastically, without looking back. "You weren't the reason for this fight. You just made an occasion."  
  
She looked after him for a moment, then she turned to Squall.  
  
"I'll ask Dr. Kadowaki how Rinoa is", he stated, his voice cold, his face hard.  
  
She just nodded, unable to answer.  
  
When both men had gone, she fell on her knees.  
  
Silently thanking Hyne that the Garden's students still slept, and no-one would see her like this, she buried her face in her hands and started crying.  
  
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"… and therefore, I'd like to quit and leave the Garden."  
  
"Quistis…", Cid started, but stopped, not knowing what to say and how to make her stay. Her decision was made. She had made that very clear. But still… it made him feel sorry.  
  
"You were a good SeeD. I'm sorry it ended that way."  
  
Without looking in the director's eyes, she replied, "Me too", and kept silent again, hoping he'd dismiss her soon.  
  
"If I can help you-"  
  
"No Sir. You believed in me, I disappointed you. You already did too much for me."  
  
She had just finished her sentence, as someone knocked on the door.  
  
"Come in", Cid called.  
  
The door was opened, and much to Quistis' surprise, it was Rinoa who entered. 


	6. Chains of love

The sky above  
  
Part 5: Chains of love  
  
Author's notes: I seriously hated writing this part. It took me so long and I have no idea why. Next part is coming soon, I promise.  
  
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~He chained her wings to keep her from flying. The scars never healed.~  
  
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Rinoa was pale as death. Her skin's colour was comparable to the bandage that was covering the wound on her forehead. Nevertheless, she wore a beautiful smile on her face and her presence seemed to lighten up the whole room.  
  
Seeing the girl smile in her condition was painful for Quistis, and the feeling of guilt was almost unbearable.  
  
"I thought you'd take the blame", she told Quistis, her voice was soft, her smile lovely. Director Cid, still sat at his desk, regarding both woman silently.  
  
"But it's not your fault", Rinoa finally added.  
  
The ex-instructor stared at her, not knowing what to say.  
  
Rinoa took a few steps in her direction, but as she started trembling and went paler, Quistis hurried to her side, silently supporting her.  
  
"You should have stayed in bed", she told her quietly.  
  
"You're probably right." Rinoa's smile changed into a familiar lopsided grin. "But if I had, you would have left without saying good-bye to me."  
  
Quistis lowered her gaze, swallowing hard. "I thought you hated me", she whispered. "You have every right to. You almost died… because…"  
  
"Because I battled a T-Rex", Rinoa finished for her. "Even though you had told me not to."  
  
Quistis' eyes grew wide, her mouth opened, but she kept silent.  
  
"I know… it was stupid. But I didn't junction a G.F. either…"  
  
"What?", escaped Quistis' lips. But she was much too relieved to be angry at her student. "But… why?"  
  
"I… don't know." Rinoa's smile faded and she lowered her head to stare at her feet.  
  
Quistis had seen better liars. Lots of.  
  
Something was bothering Rinoa, but whatever it was, she doubted that director's office was the place to discuss it.  
  
"Well", Cid started, as if he had read Quistis' mind. "I guess, that means back to work for you." He smiled at the blonde woman, then turned his attention to the raven-haired. "Rinoa. Be more careful next time."  
  
The two of them nodded., Quistis relieved, Rinoa self-conscious.  
  
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"Rinoa!", Dr. Kadowaki shouted, as both woman entered the infirmary. "Where have you been? I thought I told you to stay in bed!"  
  
The doctor stood up from her desk chair, crossed her arms and lifted an eyebrow. As Rinoa answered her stern expression with her cutest smile, Dr. Kadowaki sighed. "Now that you're already up and seem quite well, why don't you and Miss Trepe take care of the infirmary for half an hour? I have to inform Director Cid of the latest incidents. Just call me if there's a emergency. When I'm back, we'll run some tests, so don't you dare to leave again."  
  
Without waiting for Rinoa to reply, Dr. Kadowaki grabbed a folder and a few papers and headed to the door.  
  
Quistis watched her leave, then turned her attention back to her friend.  
  
"Why don't you lay down?", she asked, pointing on one of the beds. Rinoa shrugged, but followed the suggestion, took off her shoes and flopped onto the bed. She led out a groan, mumbled something about bruises and closed her eyes.  
  
"Rinoa?", Quistis asked, sitting down on one of the chairs. "Did you lie to Director Cid?"  
  
The raven-haired opened her eyes and shook her head, not daring to look straight at Quistis. "No. I really battled that T-Rex without junctioning a G.F."  
  
Quistis kept quiet. She was sure Rinoa had had reasons for her decision. she just didn't know whether they were good ones or not. "It's probably none of my business…", the ex-instructor admitted. "But… why?"  
  
Rinoa sighed. It was a quiet, but desperate sigh, led out by a person, that had recognized the problem, but was unable to solve it.  
  
"' Quistis Trepe became a SeeD when she was only 15 years old, 2 years later, she already taught how to be one', that's what people say. Did you know that? Do you know what they say about me? Rinoa Heartilly: The sorceress, depending on her knight like a baby on it's mother. The witch, unable to make a single move without being abducted by some evil force. Unable… to defend herself. "  
  
Quistis stared at her open-mouthed. It wasn't possible Rinoa actually believed what she'd just said. People admired her, people loved her. She was right, her physical attacks weren't the Garden's best, but her magical abilities made her an amazing, outstanding summoner.  
  
"Rinoa", she started, but was simply cut off by the sorceress.  
  
"So I tried to prove different. But instead, I made an even bigger fool of myself."  
  
"You're wrong. No-one thinks that way", Quistis assured her. "No-one thinks you're helpless or childish. People here aren't as you portray them. They aren't like your father."  
  
Rinoa's eyes widened at the last comment, and even Quistis was shocked by the truth her words had revealed.  
  
"My dad…. has nothing to do with it", Rinoa stuttered, still too surprised to get angry.  
  
Deciding not to provoke her anger, Quistis quickly apologized. "I'm… sorry, Rinoa! I didn't mean to offend you or your family!"  
  
Of course she hadn't meant to. She hadn't known how true her words were until they'd left her mouth.  
  
But now it was logical, maybe the only logical explanation for Rinoa's behaviour. Protected from the evil world by her father, she now struggled against the power he still had over her. The only result was that she found herself confronted with her weakness. The only solution was finally freeing herself.  
  
Looking at the troubled girl, Quistis knew, that wasn't an option.  
  
"Let's talk about something else", she offered. 


	7. Open your eyes

The sky above  
  
Part 6: Open your eyes  
  
Author's notes: Heyheyhey! Finally Part 6, or chap 7, or whatever. You'll notice that the story now focuses on another character. (Now, I'm not bored of Quistis. I just needed a change.) It's hard to think like Seifer (damn, now I ruined it. Okay, the other character is Seifer.) Or it's hard to think like I think he'd think. ~_~  
  
Anyway, lean back and enjoy the show.  
  
Oh yeah, and thank you so much for the nice reviews!!! What about more? …Please?  
  
  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~  
  
~She thinks she can save herself from seeing the darkness when she closes her eyes~  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~  
  
~~~She was a small woman with emerald-eyes and hair like waves of light. She reached out for him, out of her aura of light, and into the darkness that surrounded him.  
  
"Do you… remember?", she asked, her voice a wind's whisper.  
  
"Mom… ." Seifer had no tongue to speak, no hand to gesture. Nevertheless, he instinctively knew, that it was now all unnecessary. He know knew the only right way to communicate: With words, that could cross oceans and continents, that were heard in the past and future like they were heard right now.  
  
"Do you… remember?"  
  
"…What?"  
  
She smiled peacefully, closing her eyes.  
  
"Love"  
  
Her image faded and another woman appeared in the faint light. A tall woman, with cerulean eyes.  
  
"Quistis."  
  
The blonde opened her mouth to speak, but terrified realized, that she was unable to form a single word.  
  
"Quistis", he slowly repeated. A hand reached out of the darkness behind her and grabbed her wrist. He reacted without thinking, taking her other hand pulling her towards him.  
  
Every sign of life left Quistis' eyes, and it was, as if her body was reduced to a lifeless doll between him and the shadows.  
  
"Do you think you can rescue her?", his mother's voice cruelly laughed. "You're just saving her from one darkness, while you're dragging her into your own."  
  
But Seifer didn't listen. This time, he would save her. From darkness and even from herself. ~~~  
  
Seifer opened his eyes and found himself back in his bedroom. It was already morning, and the sun shined through the little window directly on his face. He sat up and yawned. Thanks to his dreams, he felt as if he hadn't slept at all. Rubbing his chin, he wondered why he had those nightmares... why about his mother? And… more importantly, why about the instructor? He couldn't help but call her instructor, even in his thoughts. He knew she wasn't one anymore, but some things simply shouldn't be changed.  
  
He decided to get up and dress. But whatever he did, his dreams seemed to haunt him. His mother's words kept repeating in his mind, and the image of a terrified Quistis was frozen in front of his inner eye. He growled, sat down on a chair, and covered his face with both hands. It was just a stupid dream… a stupid dream about his dead mother and his ex-instructor.  
  
A lopsided grin formed on his face. 'So, that's why they call me a psychopath.'  
  
When he had finally finished dressing, he went to the cafeteria to see if Rinoa was around. He didn't know why he wished to see her and wasn't quite sure if he actually wanted to know. But then again, he was convinced that there was no reason to worry. He was doubtlessly over his little affection towards her. Affection, because he would never call this childish, ridiculous feeling love. Thinking about it, even when she was his girl- friend, they never really talked about their feelings towards each other. And even though 'I love you' was a very popular term among teenager couples, none of them ever said those words and none of them ever wished to hear them. At least, as far as he knew.  
  
He stopped dead as he saw Instructor Trepe leaving the cafeteria and immediately wondered, if Rinoa was with her. As he realized that she was alone, and no-one would follow her through the door, Seifer waited for Quistis to approach.  
  
"Morning, instructor", he greeted her.  
  
"Seifer! I was looking for you!"  
  
'As in good old times', he thought grimly. 'She's doing her job, and forgetting about yesterday's little incident. How easy for her.'  
  
"Sounds like you're back in business", he said, wondering whether or not his sarcasm would shine through his words. But it didn't, or she simply chose to ignore the hidden meaning.  
  
"As a matter of fact, yes. So let's go. Until Rinoa has fully recovered, we'll do the training alone."  
  
"Seems like your perfect little world has started turning again", he cynically stated, watching her face. "I hope puberty boy already took his chance and apologized. I'm sure he wouldn't want to loose his beautiful little lover."  
  
Her eyes widened, first in shock, then in anger. Nevertheless, she stayed calm and answered in a cool voice: "I'm *not* his little lover. He's very happy with Rinoa."  
  
Seifer lowered his view. He was actually enjoying this. Shaking her 'perfect little world' turned out to be a lot of fun. Always denying, always ignoring. How could she possibly believe it was that easy?  
  
He decided to teach her a little lesson of his own.  
  
"I know you aren't his lover", he explained. "I'm not dumb. He's faithful and Rinoa is his true love and yadda yadda. But… if he asked you, if he told you Rinoa would never find out. Wouldn't you take your chance?"  
  
"Seifer!", she shouted in her old instructor manner, "do you really think I'm going to answer that?"  
  
Seifer laughed. "No. As I said before, I'm not dumb. You'd never admit it. You'd probably say that Rinoa is your friend, and that your little 'thing' for Squall is a sisterly love. You're so #%$§* idealistic, you'd never admit it. But in the end, you wouldn't give a damn about Rinoa and decide to have your fun with puberty boy."  
  
She raised her hand, and slapped him hardly, not caring about who may watched them. Without a word, she left with fast steps, leaving a slightly grinning Seifer behind.  
  
'Maybe', he thought, 'just maybe, she can still be helped.' 


	8. Surrender

The sky above  
  
Part 7: Surrender  
  
Author's notes: Wow, this chappy took me way too long, and I'm really sorry for it. (I had a *major* crisis…)  
  
I hope I will be able to post the next parts sooner... reviews will help me though ^_^  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~  
  
~Love may be light, but this is fire~  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~  
  
After she had left Seifer standing there, Quistis headed to her dorm. The enthusiasm she had felt only half an hour ago had vanished, and she felt miserably. The little incident with Seifer a few minutes ago had cruelly reminded her of what she had tried so hard to forget. Squall hadn't come to talk to her yet, she hadn't seen Rinoa either and the feeling of guilt was haunting her.  
  
She tiredly opened the door to her dorm and entered. The room seemed painfully empty, and the only furniture was a bed, a shelf full of books and a table in the middle of the room. It was a dorm like any other in Balamb Garden, with the exception that it was tidy, of course. She sighed and sat down on her bed. 'Tidy, as if no-one lived here', Quistis thought, her eyes scanning the bare walls. She was usually glad about not having to share the room with other SeeDs, but there were times she desperately wished for someone to talk to. Times like these.  
  
She was alone, there was no-one left. Her friends, if they'd ever been her friends, were too busy with their own problems. And her family… she had never had one. Of course, there was a woman who had born her, who sometimes haunted her dreams, and a man who had fathered her, whose face she couldn't remember. Both were gone, and though she missed a father and a mother, she had never missed her own.  
  
Quistis laid down and buried her head in her pillow. She didn't cry. Not because she didn't wanted to, but because the tears refused to flow. She hadn't cried for such a long time, she wondered if it was possible to forget how to cry. So she simply closed her eyes and let herself drift into a sweet sleep, hoping that it could ease the pain she felt.  
  
Just then, someone knocked sharply on the door.  
  
Her eyes closed, she groaned angrily. 'Whoever it is', she thought. 'I'm not going to open.'  
  
The knock was replaced with a loud bang and now it was her sudden anger that urged her to get up. She growled, and stumbled, still tired, to the door.  
  
She threw the door open, and she stopped dead by whom she saw.  
  
"Seifer?", she asked, too surprised to be angry.  
  
"Care to let me in, Instructor?", he asked, leaning against the wall, grinning slightly.  
  
Quistis stared at him open mouthed, not noticing that he had begun to study her carefully. Her blonde hair was down and while she would have called it a mess, Seifer seemed to enjoy the view.  
  
"What are you doing here?", she snapped, her sleepy mind remembering their little conversation blurrily.  
  
"Looking for you", he answered coolly. "I'm here to tell you I'm sorry… What I said was true, but not very nice", he mocked.  
  
"You…", she couldn't think of the right word for him, and when one came to her mind, the instructor forbid herself to say it loud.  
  
He smiled broadly. "C'mon Instructor, don't get mad and let me in."  
  
When she refused to step out of the doorframe, he laid his hands on her shoulders and leaned down to her. Faces almost touching, he whispered: "I'm here to ask you something. I'll go afterwards if you still want me to."  
  
"Seifer!", she growled, her eyes piercing. "Leave!"  
  
He shrugged and smiled, his hands on her shoulders forcing her to step back.  
  
"Seifer!"  
  
"Relax, Instructor. We're going to have a talk, remember?" He shut the door closed with one of his feet and let go of her.  
  
"Why are you here?", she hissed angrily. "I thought that everything was already said."  
  
His eyes rested on her, studying every feature of her face, making her feel very uncomfortable.  
  
"Did I ever tell you, how beautiful you are?"  
  
He didn't even make an attempt to sound charming and his voice stayed toneless and objective, almost cold.  
  
She opened her mouth to speak, but his statement had taken away her voice. What was Seifer thinking? Rushing into her dorm, complimenting her. She couldn't help but stare at him.  
  
"Don't look at me like that", he told her, suddenly very amused. "I still despise you. I'm only telling you that you're beautiful."  
  
Still, she had no idea what to say. The whole situation seemed so unreal, she instantly wondered if she was dreaming. When she didn't answer, he spoke on.  
  
"Squall doesn't see beauty, you know?" Then, more serious: "I do."  
  
"What… what are you trying to say?", she stuttered, eyes wide.  
  
"We both know you're still in love with him."  
  
Silence embraced them, as she watched him sigh. When he looked up, his expression had softened, and his defence, his cocky manner, was down.  
  
She had forgotten about her anger, confusion was the only thing she felt.  
  
Why had Seifer come? To tell her what?  
  
"You're lonely."  
  
This time, his statement wasn't supposed to mock her. His eyes filled with quiet pain told her more than a thousand words. And suddenly, she felt terribly sorry for him.  
  
"I am lonely too", he added.  
  
His green eyes had darkened when he spoke. "When Rinoa left me, I told myself that she was just another chick… another name on a list. But… things turned out to be different and I… I missed her so much that it hurt. And I still miss her."  
  
"Seifer…" Quistis had no idea what to say. She only felt like hearing his name, reminding herself of whom she talked to. The cocky ex-knight.  
  
"Rinoa doesn't love me. Squall doesn't love you. That's the way it is and no 'I'm sorry' will ever change that. You could wait for Puberty boy until the end of time, while I choose a new girlfriend every week. Or we could... we could..."  
  
Suddenly, everything changed. Suddenly, everything was turned upside down. Her little dream of a world, perfect in every way possible, broke into pieces as Seifer took a few steps towards her, leaned down and let his lips brush hers. Her world broke, not because he kissed her, but because she enjoyed it.  
  
Sparks didn't fly, fireworks didn't explode, but the sweet touch of his lips set her free.  
  
And she didn't refuse, she didn't try to stop him. For once, she could see this little flame in her perfect darkness.  
  
And the kiss they shared lost it's innocence and grew passionate.  
  
And when she had already and fully given into his seduction, Seifer's lips suddenly left hers, leaving a very confused Quistis starring at him.  
  
"Rinoa saved Squall", he whispered. "She saved him and let me fall. And Squall led you down for her." He closed his eyes for a moment, when he opened them again, a sad smile had formed on his face. "The only thing we can do is... fall together."  
  
Quistis found her voice, and while her thoughts had left her during their kiss, it seemed that they now crashed down on her. "Why... why me?", she asked, her voice filled with a cruel mixture of confusion, sadness and anger. "Why are you offering this to me?" Their kiss had felt so sweet and free only a few seconds ago, now it felt like she was going to pay terribly for it.  
  
It felt like… a sin. A terrible sin.  
  
He looked down on her, his eyes, his face, his scent, everything seemed to seduce her.  
  
"Now that I've lost Rinoa... I don't know if I want to love again. I need someone, but I can't promise eternal love to anyone. I came to you, because I know you wouldn't want to hear that lie. I don't want to hurt anyone and I know I wouldn't hurt you. You're lonely – So am I."  
  
She looked up, he took a deep breath. "I can't offer to catch you. The only thing I'm offering to you is to fall with you."  
  
Falling together. Quistis had wanted Squall to fall with her. But had she? Wasn't she secretly dreaming of him rescuing her?  
  
Looking into Seifer's green eyes, she mentally painted them blue. Looking at the scar on his forehead, she mentally turned it around.  
  
She sighed. "It would be a lie."  
  
He shook his head. "No, it wouldn't. No lies anymore. Just you and me, no feelings, no regrets, no pain. I'm Seifer, you're Quistis. Let's forget about the ones we'll never have."  
  
It sounded so sweet, almost as sweet as the kiss he had given her. But was she ready to throw away her moral only to soothe her loneliness?  
  
She covered her face with her hands, letting out a painful sigh. She didn't know what to do. She simply didn't know.  
  
"I'll go if you want me to", he quietly offered, and she felt his eyes on her.  
  
"No."  
  
'Maybe it'll break me', she thought. 'But my hopes are already in pieces. There's not much I can lose.'  
  
"Stay", she whispered. "Stay tonight. I don't want to be lonely anymore."  
  
"You won't", he promised. 


	9. Cold heart

The sky above  
  
Part 8: Cold heart  
  
Author's notes:  
  
Hey. I'm baaaaaa~~~~~aaaack. (ok, that's for those of you who missed Selphie).  
  
Huh, I was so busy lately, I was simply unable to post this chapter. I hope you're still enjoying the story, even though I'm sooooo slow. I will finish it. I'm sure I will!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  
  
But isn't today's quote lovely? (It's a general one. I'm proud of it. ^.^) If you think about it, it's just the way Quistis feels. No love, no pain!!! Yeah, you go girl.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~  
  
Love and pain are like shadows and light. The strongest light always casts the darkest shadows.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~  
  
When Quistis awoke this morning, she awoke next to Seifer. His arms were protectively wrapped around her, her head rested comfortably on his chest. As she opened her eyes to see the first rays of light streaming through the window, last night's memories found their way back to her mind.  
  
She sighed deeply, removing herself from his touch, very carefully, afraid she might wake him up.  
  
Her long golden hair was down and as she stood up, it began to shine like spun gold in the sunlight. And she remembered Seifer's words: 'Squall doesn't see beauty… I do.'  
  
Beauty…  
  
Quistis starred to her bare feet. 'Beauty', she thought, 'beauty is all that's left…. I'm a pretty façade, a broken vessel that used to be filled with dreams. Now I feel… empty.'  
  
She lifted her head and watched the sleeping figure in her bed. She felt nothing for him, but instantly wondered… was this nothingness within her heart really that terrible?  
  
'If it's just about sex, no feelings will be involved and if there are no feelings involved, no hearts will be broken. …especially not mine.'  
  
And even though her moral, her dreams and her innocence were a high price to pay, she had already made the choice last night. There was no turning back. Now, that she finally received what she had wanted.  
  
Relief from the pain Squall had caused.  
  
And if this total absence of feeling was necessary to ease this pain, she was willing to take it all.  
  
"Quis?"  
  
She turned her head to watch a sleepy Seifer sit up in the bed, looking at her. "Leaving?", he asked.  
  
Quistis shook her head, fully aware of his gaze on her naked body. For a short moment she wondered why she didn't care. "I'm showering", she informed him.  
  
"What about your Friday meeting with Cid about Rin and me? Aren't you already late?", Seifer asked, his tone for once not mocking.  
  
She shrugged. "I guess I'm going to tell him that I'm not interested in becoming an instructor anymore."  
  
He frowned, but kept silent.  
  
Shrugging, she answered the unasked question. "I slept with my student. My moral may be gone, but my conscience is still around."  
  
She instantly wondered where her conscience had been last night. Last night, when she gave into Seifer's seduction, betraying everything she believed in. But truth be told, she didn't really care anymore. She couldn't change what she had done. Even if she wanted to.  
  
"Sounds like one night with me turned you upside down", he commented, faking a grin.  
  
'He's right', she thought. 'I'm not the person I used to be."  
  
She wasn't sad about it, wasn't happy either. She didn't feel like crying, nor like laughing. Seifer had taken away the pain Squall had caused. But he couldn't fill her heart with love and it was left empty.  
  
The cold expression remained on her pretty face, and eventually, his smile died and he became serious. "Don't throw away your career. We can end it here. No-one will ever hear about this."  
  
She shook her head. "I don't care what you say, Seifer. I won't teach you or Rinoa or any other student in the Garden anymore. Things will never be the way they were last night. And I'm not unhappy about it."  
  
He watched her in silence, obviously not knowing what to say.  
  
"If I came here tonight, would you let me in again?", he asked, his emerald- eyes carefully studying her face.  
  
She kept silent, heading into the bathroom. She turned the shower on, and through the noise of splashing water she heard her toneless voice say "Yes.".  
  
When Quistis finished showering, Seifer was gone. He had left the room empty and tidy, just the way he had entered it yesterday. But she knew that things simply weren't the way they had been.  
  
She put on her clothes, ready to leave her dorm. Standing in the middle of the room, she stopped in her moves and closed her eyes. She breathed in his scent, wondering… wondering why she couldn't love Seifer, why things had to be so unbearable complicated…  
  
Her thoughts were interrupted by a quiet knock on her door. Quistis led out a sigh. Could it be anyone but Seifer? She turned to see what exactly her former student had left in her room, prepared to find a gunblade lying next to her bed. When she couldn't see any of his belonging, she shrugged and opened the door.  
  
It wasn't Seifer standing in front of her. It was a pale figure, wearing a huge smile on her pretty face. A bandage still covered the wound on her forehead, and much to Quistis relief, it wasn't soaked with blood anymore.  
  
"Good morning!", Rinoa greeted enthusiastically. "Ready for training?"  
  
Quistis opened her mouth to answer, to tell her friend that she wasn't going to teach her or Seifer any longer. But Rinoa's carefree expression shut her up.  
  
What was she going to tell her?  
  
How was she going to explain this to her?  
  
"So?", the girl asked, and Quistis forced a smile on her face.  
  
"I don't know. I'm not feeling well", she lied, and saw Rinoa's happiness fade from her face, a worried expression forming. "What's wrong?"  
  
Quistis shrugged. "Headache."  
  
Rinoa nodded understandingly. "Hell, I had a headache after that T-Rex- fight… But I'll tell Seifer you're not feeling well." The girl shrugged and smiled "Guess we'll have to train without you… bye Quistis!"  
  
Rinoa smiled warmly, then turned and walked away. Quistis stood in her door and watched her for a moment, when Rinoa turned and added: "By the way, Squall's going to visit you today. He's terribly regretting what he has done to you. Hope you're okay with seeing him."  
  
And Quistis felt her heart aching again. 


	10. Towards the edge

The sky above  
  
Part 9: Towards the edge  
  
Author's notes: Oh my. it's been so long! And I'm sorry!!! Please forgive me, I had a serious FF-allergy for the last few months. I could not stand writing anything about Squall, Quisty and my personal sweetie Seifer. But now it's over, I'm BACK!!! Gimme the reviews, bash me for my long absence but gimme the reviews!!!  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ She lay there like a precious stone, and he would not know how much she was worth, until someone else had taken her. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~  
  
Quistis stumbled back into her dorm. She felt terrible. She felt, as if she had betrayed something she used to worship with all her heart. She leaned against the closed door, her face had turned white as the walls. She saw Squall's face when she closed her eyes, and she saw the scar, the horrible scar shining with intensity. She had loved Squall so much, how could she ever give into his worst enemy's seduction? Quistis covered her face with her cold hands and fell on her knees. 'Make it stop', she wished, 'make it all stop! I can't stand it anymore!' And she finally realized that her escape into Seifer's arms could not give her any relief. It only made her feel dirty, dirty and weak  
  
If she hadn't been so confused, she might have found it amusing how a few days had turned her whole life upside down. "Quis? Are you in there?", a cool male voice asked from the outside. Quistis froze.  
  
Could it be? Could it really be?  
  
"Quistis? Open."  
  
Quistis took a deep breath and stoop up. She stared a moment at the door, her hand found the knob, and she opened in shock. And the next instant, Squall stood in front of her. He opened his mouth to speak, but when the right words wouldn't come, he shut up again. Instead, he reached out and took her hand. She held her breath when he lifted it to have a closer look. "Does it hurt?"  
  
She couldn't answer, she was still too much in shock. He tenderly held the hand he had grabbed roughly during the fight, but even though she could not say it, he had not hurt her back then. "I'm sorry for what I did to you. I saw Rinoa, and in my head, I saw her dying, and I went berserk. I didn't know what to do, I didn't know who to blame, and so I came to blame you." Her big, blue eyes watched him carefully as he spoke, and eventually, they met his. And finally, Quistis saw what she had always been trying to ignore. She saw how much he really loved Rinoa. She saw, that Rinoa was the one and only in his heart, and that there was no place for her, his Instructor. The tears welling up in her eyes made it impossible for her to look at him. She knew, as soon as she started crying, she wouldn't be able to stop again. And so she stopped before. She simply stopped. Everything, every feeling. Everything.  
  
All the emotions rushing through her body froze immediately and left her cold and reasonable. "Leave, Squall", she told him toneless. "There is nothing you can tell me I wouldn't already know. I've learned to understand you pretty well." He kept quiet, not surprised by her answer at all. "I told Rinoa, you'd say that", he finally stated. "I told her you'd still be angry."  
  
He let go of her hand, his blue eyes met hers, than he turned and started walking away. After only a few metres he stopped again. And with his back towards her, he said:  
  
"What do you expect, Quistis? Do you think you becoming Seifer's whore will make me love you? What do you expect?"  
  
A long moment of silence passed by, and the two SEEDs stayed motionless. It took both an eternity to understand what he had just said. Her, because she still hadn't fully realized that she had really spend the night with Seifer. Him, because he hadn't intended to be so rude and actually confront her with what Rinoa called "the Ridiculous Rumour". "What?", she shrieked. "How do you know?" He shook his head in disbelief. "So it's true. It's really true. You slept with him!"  
  
This time, he did turn around. His face was red with anger, his eyes cold with disgust. "Whore!", he shouted. "Whore!" Her eyes grew wide in terror, and before she knew what she was doing, she had lifted her hand to slap him. She could not move any further, for he had grabbed her wrist again, pressing as if he intended to smash every bone. "Listen to me, and listen carefully, Instructor: You sleeping with my worst enemy will not make you happy either. And you know why? He ain't me." "Arrogant Bastard!", she hissed, though instinctively knowing that he was right. His anger vanished as suddenly as it had appeared, and he grew suspiciously calm again.  
  
"You will regret it, Quistis. He will break you." "He may."  
  
He instantly let go of her wrist, just as if it had suddenly become to hot for him to touch.  
  
And without giving her a final look, he left in silence. He could not bear it, to look at her any longer. But what was happening? To her, to him? Why did he care so much about a woman he had barely noticed throughout his journeys? It was Rinoa, who had opened him up, it was her who had made him feel. But . for whom?  
  
Squall shook his head. He didn't care about Quistis. 'So let her sleep with Seifer', he thought bitterly. If she was already stumbling, it was hers to choose whether or not she would fall. And if Seifer's arms were what she wanted, she may belonged there. But it hurt. And he did not know why. 


	11. The other woman

The sky above Part 10: The other woman  
  
Author's notes: Oh. My. Gosh. Last chapter was really weird, and I was totally out of it. I'm getting back to the Seiftis Queifer whatsoever thingy next time. In this part I'm explaining why Squall's behaving so strangely. Btw, I met one of my classmates in our hometown cinema today, he was selling the tickets, and he is so cute!!! He kinda reminds me of Squall before he met Rinoa!!! I have to admit, this guy's today my inspiration. Awww. but now: ENJOY THE SHOW!!! Ladies and Gentleman: PART 10 of my epic full of UST, romance and ss (simply sex ^_^)!!!  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ As cold skin sometimes aches when its warmed, lonely hearts sometimes ache when they're filled with love. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~  
  
It had been a dreadful night for him. Rinoa had done her best to cheer him up, but her kind words didn't reach him this time.  
  
He wasn't sure why, but perhaps it was his bad conscience aching, his abused heart telling him, that he had abused Rinoa's too. Not because he had intended to, but because he didn't notice to whom he belonged until it was to late. Was he really in love with Quistis?  
  
Could it be? Rinoa's arms around him suddenly felt very cold and he started shivering. "Squall?", her sleepy voice asked. "You okay?"  
  
"Sure."  
  
"I think we're beyond this. So tell me the truth and don't you dare to lie to me." He did not lie. And he did not tell the truth. He kept quiet, until Rinoa was fully awake and very angry. "Damn you, Squall", she hissed, then sat up in their small bet to look at him.  
  
Moonlight fell through their window, lightening Rinoa's pretty face, silky hair and sad eyes. "I had a fight with Quistis. That's all." He thought a moment, than added: "I called her a whore."  
  
He heard Rinoa gasp. "What?" Squall sat up as well, his shadow fell on her face. "She admitted it!", he exclaimed in sudden anger. "She slept with Seifer!"  
  
No answer. None at all.  
  
Then: "I did that too."  
  
And silence fell upon them again. Squall had known that Rinoa was Seifer's ex-girlfriend right from the start, but for details he had never asked. It was so very easy to ignore such facts, when they were just a small information buried somewhere in his subconscious. Now, it became real.  
  
The dark image of Rinoa in Seifer's arms became so real, he could actually see them when he closed his eyes. It was so painful, he could not look at her, even in darkness. They did not talk, they did not touch. And the rest of the night he felt so lonely again as if dear Ellone had left him once again. He could hear her cry quietly, but as soon as he moved his hand to comfort her, he froze and thought of Seifer, thought of Quistis and Rinoa. And his hand fell to his side. Everything was messed up. Since Seifer had come back to the Garden, since Rinoa had decided to become a SeeD, since Quistis was asked to teach them both. Squall knew he loved Rinoa dearly for what she had done for him, but there also was this dangerous affection for Quistis of which had not been aware until his jealousy had revealed it in such a painful way. And now, he was picturing them both in Seifer's careless arms. In the arms of a man who did not give a damn for either women. It was a dreadful night and his thoughts would not let him sleep until 3 am had long passed by. The morning, however, was even more dreadful, and when he awoke he did not find himself lying next to Rinoa, but to a cold right side of the bed.  
  
Where she should have lied, lay a note.  
  
"I'm not a trophy, nor is she", it said. "We're not simply his or yours. Decide Squall. I will not let you break both our hearts."  
  
'I broke hers long ago. I broke yours last night', he thought, tearing up the note and letting the pieces fall on her side of the bed. 'But I have decided last night. And I see I was wrong.' He dressed in a hurry, leaving the dorm topsy-turvy. It took him some time, but he finally found her at the 'secret spot'. She turned at the sound of his footsteps, and immediately, a soft smile touched her beautiful lips. She opened her mouth to speak, but he did not let her, and instead took a few steps and embraced her so tightly, she had to force herself not to start crying.  
  
"I was wrong", he said, without letting go of her. "I was terribly wrong. I thought I loved her, but I don't. Not this way, not our way. She means very much to me and at first, I didn't realize how much. And when I did, I mistook it for love. And somehow it is. it is a brotherly love. I care for her. I really do. But I love you, I love you, Rinoa." Her eyes were filled with tears as she stepped back and looked at him. "What about Seifer?" "I don't care!", he exclaimed so heartily, she could not help but believe him. "I don't care who your past was, as long as I'm your present."  
  
"I'm glad", she simply said. And she smiled, fell back into his loving arms and smiled. 


	12. The edge of heaven

The sky above Part 11: The edge of heaven  
  
Author's notes: Yep, it's true, this is the final part of "The sky above". Written to the sound of Jewel's wonderful Christmas version of "Hands", this is my absolute favourite part of The sky above. I hope you will enjoy the ending! We'll read us again in my new epic. Have a Merry Christmas!!!  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ And as their angels did not come, they held each other tightly and fell off heaven's edge together ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~  
  
It was long after midnight, as Quistis shrieked up from her dreams. She was so terrified, so very confused, she did not think a minute about it, before she dressed in a hurry and ran down the corridors to Seifer's dorm. She banged more than once loudly at the door. He opened, and to her surprise, did not seem the least tired. "I dreamed.", she told him out of breath. "I dreamed they had come to tell me. Both of them. Both our mothers. To tell me, that we're falling already." But Seifer only grinned. "So, that's why you've come this late into my dorm? To tell me, that you dreamed about our dead mothers?" He did not dare to tell her that he had had the same dream, that he had been awake by the time she had knocked on his door, pleading to let him in.  
  
"You're so pathetic, Instructor", Seifer mocked. "Why don't you just lie down and let us have the fun? There is not need to act." She did not believe her ears at what she heard and it took a great amount of her self-control to resist the urge to beat the last breath out of him. "I'm not your whore!", she hissed, remembering that this was exactly what Squall had called her only a few hours ago. Seifer's whore.  
  
Maybe she was.  
  
"So what now, Instructor? Want me to fall in love with you?" He grinned without the lightest hint of humour and shook his head. "No you don't. You are using me as much as I'm using you. And that's the truth, that's what it's all about. You want Squall, you'd love to cut him out of Rinoa's arms. But you will fail. As you always do. And now we're here, Instructor. And all I'm asking you now is to admit it. We have lost. We have both failed. We're not supposed to be the lucky ones, my beloved instructor."  
  
She stared at him, her eyes had grown wide in desperation and were slowly filling with tears. "We could be. Just love me. I will love you!", she assured him.  
  
Seifer however, shook his head. His grin was gone, replaced by hints of a sad smile. "I can't. You can't. There is no love left in that poor heart of yours. Or in mine, for that matter."  
  
"I'm feeling even more lonely, when I'm lying in your arms", she told him quietly, unable to hide the painful truth any longer.  
  
"Same here. You're a pretty woman, Quistis, but you're not Rinoa. And I'm. you know, I'm gorgeous-" He smiled in such a sweet way, it led the tears well up in her eyes, "but I'm not Squall."  
  
Silence fell between them, lasting only a few seconds, before Quistis began to sob. "I can't live like this", she suddenly cried, falling against Seifer's chest. "Why won't he love me? Why won't he love me?"  
  
She cried, whined and whispered, and Seifer realized, that his 'way' to ease both their loneliness had only led them into greater despair. He had led her to the edge. Just like they had said. He held her tightly, until Quistis had gathered self-control again. When she had stopped sobbing and leaned silently against him, he gently laid his hands upon her shoulders and said:  
  
"Will you come with me?" "Where to?"  
  
"To the edge."  
  
At first, she did not know what he was talking about, but as soon as he looked at her with such a grave expression on his face, she immediately understood. His beautiful, often misunderstood eyes told her told her in a language called silence. And for the first time someone understood.  
  
"I will", she whispered, carrying the love she had just denied right in her face. Seifer saw it, but would not believe his eyes. The glowing on her cheeks, the shining in her eyes explained in beautiful voices what she did not know: That she had learned to love him dearly. And if she would have known, she might be able to see how much. Seifer had grown fond of her too, he also cared deeply for her, but not dared to call it love, simply because deep in his torn heart, he felt too miserable for her, to miserable to be something else than her toy. And so they held each other close and led their last night pass by. She did not change her mind for once in all these hours. But she wasn't sad, for in a very still place in her heart she knew that love had come to her at last, even if it could never be maintained, if there was no way, to safe it from all these dark spaces between them. Love had come to her at last.  
  
And she was happy. In a very still place in her heart, she was very happy. As their last night came to an end in a very beautiful winter morning, they dressed in silence and left the Garden forever. They did not care for the looks people gave them. They did not care for what stunning image they made to these people, the tall blonde couple, through their proud eyes already shining immortality. And students of Balamb Garden will tell this story as long as their young hearts start aching at the thought of the beautiful instructor and the mighty sorceress's knight who carried their fragile love to heaven's door, as they both fell together off the cliffs of their former orphanage. And that was, when they realized, that they had not fallen. That they had become each other's angels. And in the end, they found love. No envy, no hatred where they were. Only love, pure, never-ending love. 


End file.
